Physics is the science of matter and energy and the interactions between them. What if you could talk to trees or the ocean or the Earth itself? What if you could ask a star the reason it shines and it answered you?

With Physics all these things are possible. Physicists imagine questions and then find ways to make nature respond. It’s as if we are conversing with the universe: create a stimulus and nature answers with an observable reaction. At times the answers to these questions baffle scientists. This is when discoveries are made, and along with every discovery comes a whole new world of information that we continue to build on.

Physics has been called the foundation of the sciences, for it seeks to observe, analyze, and categorize the interactions which occur in our entire physical universe. It is the goal of the Physics program at Mississippi College to give students a thorough understanding of the fundamental principles of physics and to acquaint them with the scientific approach to knowledge. Studying physics trains a person to be a lifetime learner, a critical thinker, and an expert problem solver.

To obtain a Bachelor of Science degree in Physics, students are required to pass forty hours of physics course work, thirty-one of those hours being in core physics courses and nine hours in physics/physical science/engineering science elective courses. Twenty-one hours of mathematics (including twelve hours of calculus and three hours of differential equations), twelve hours of chemistry, three hours of computer programming, three hours of oral communication, thirty-six hours of the university core curriculum, and fifteen hours of additional electives (technical or non-technical) are also required to reach the 130 hours required for graduation.